A Young Man Sat on His Front Porch
by Monochrome Romance
Summary: John Egbert was happy, a nice home, financial stability. But a lost job and a couple dozen boxes later, and he's in the hellish surroundings of Texas with a jobless housefather in a crappy apartment. But perhaps a kid who's taken interest to him can help cool down the flaring weather. JohnDave, AU where the game wasn't a thing in the first place. Hopefully it won't end.
1. Chapter 1

You sat on your front porch, gazing out at the lawn, full of boxes and suitcases. Moving. You never thought that your dad would lose his job, or have to move to Texas, of all places. But apparently, there were jobs there, and cheap apartments. Sweat gathered on your hairline, and you pushed up the brim of your glasses, only for them to slide back down. The rubber grips that used to rest on the bridge of your nose had broken off from being worn every day for three years straight, and your insurance didn't cover your frames. Dad obviously didn't have fifty bucks to spare. All of that was going to moving.  
God it was hot. You stood up, and moved out towards the sidewalk, looking up at the former Egbert household. Washington was having a hot day, and you wondered exactly what Texas would be like. The long grass brushed your bare legs with every step you took. You hoped someone else would take better care of the lawn; it hadn't been mowed in months. Dad had been looking for jobs and your teachers had been piling on the work that you hadn't been getting done with your circus act of juggling a job and school.  
Speaking of school, you wondered if anyone would even notice you were gone. The teachers, once admiring of you, now showed complete disinterest. You hadn't had any friends to begin with, so you guessed not. A sigh escaped your lips as you watched your father put the last box into the back of the van. "Come on John." He called tiredly, walking towards his son.  
Sympathy lingered in the man's eyes. He must have gotten the fact that you weren't too okay with moving from the place you grew up in. Where you've fallen down stairs, and fallen asleep on the couch after a long, tiring day. Where you've had fifteen birthdays. It sucked.  
His father ruffled his hair and smiled softly. "Time to go." He said before walking towards the car, silently.  
And with that, John Egbert silently followed with his eyes downcast. Before getting in, he said a silent goodbye to the building he'd had so many memories in, and pushed up his glasses once more, grasping the hot door handle and pulling it open, accepting the moment.


	2. Chapter 2

Dave Strider cringed at the sound of something breaking from the kitchen. His brothers were undoubtedly trying to do this foreign thing called 'cooking'. Which was okay for Dave to do, but when it came to Dirk or Bro doing it, there was a good change the apartment was going down in flames.  
The teen sat up in bed, where he'd been for hours, awake, but unmoving. He didn't get much sleep, for some reason he just couldn't relax and lay unconscious for eight hours. The blonde sighed, grabbing his shades from the floor next to the mattress he slept on, covered in heavy blankets.  
His room was anything but bare, with posters covering the walls, and the turntables he'd gotten for his thirteenth birthday against the far wall. His room was dark though, thick curtains covering the window. The light hurt his eyes, which was one of the reasons for his shades, aside from the fact that it was some kind of weird mutation that ran in his family. It kind of spooked people.  
Dave got to his feet and slid on the dark aviators, going towards the bedroom door, and out into the conjoined livingroom and kitchen area. Everything was basically falling apart, but the three Striders did the best they could. His eighteen year old brother, Dirk was in college, and their eldest brother, who they referred to as 'Bro' didn't want Dirk to leave home until he graduated. The two of them fumbled around in the kitchen, doing God-knows-what.  
"Dude, I don't think actual carrots would be in carrot cake."  
"But Bro, the recipe says here.."  
"But it's a fuckin' cake!"  
"Well then let's make something else. This is ridiculous man."  
The two stopped to peer into a recipe book, glancing at the baking section. "Why the hell are you guys making cake?" Dave spoke up, raising his eyebrows. The two glanced back at him, their weird triangular shades making them look like some bullshit monsters from a video game as their actions synchronized.  
"New neighbors." Dirk replied, Bro nodding. "Since the smuppet party didn't go so well last time, we're trying cake. They're supposed to be here tonight." Bro added. "By that, I mean in like five hours. Google maps, man." The two then went back to bickering about cake, and Dave looked at the kitchen table, grabbing the Mcdonalds bag and the bottle of apple juice, that was obviously for him, and went into the livingroom to sit on the couch. This was gonna be a long day. Their new neighbors were probably some old people like last time with little shit grandkids who Dave had to babysit. Of course Bro would ask him to help them unpack.  
He might as well get dressed.


	3. Chapter 3

After almost a day and a half of nonstop driving, John and his father finally pulled up to the piece of shit apartment complex they were going to be living in. It was fairly large, but it was obviously falling apart. Some windows were cracked, others were broken to nothing but shards barely clinging to the frame. Those were probably abandoned apartments. The parking lot was desolate, probably because it was only three in the afternoon.  
John got out of the car, taking a couple boxes with him, his father doing the same and heading towards the main door. He had the apartment key with him, so they could just climb the stairs up to the fifth floor, since the elevator was being fixed. John took the first step up the stairs, praying that he wouldn't slip, since he couldn't see the stairs over the boxes he carried. After the first two flights it seemed like he was doing pretty well. He heard his father say hello to someone at the top of another flight, but didn't bother greeting whoever it was. He'd just pass them wordlessly, nudging his glasses up with the corner of a box. The good thing was that the apartment complex was air conditioned, so he didn't have to worry about frying in the hot Texas sun.  
But halfway up the third flight, he caught his foot on an uneven piece of wood in the stairs, his heart skipping a beat, and his breath stopping completely in complete shock when he began to fall backwards. The boxes he held were heavy, if one landed on his head he'd be a goner.  
All of a sudden, something else grabbed the part of his shirt over his stomach, haulting him. John raised an eyebrow in befuddlement as he was steadied, looking around the boxes to see a boy around his age, who looked as shocked to see him as he felt. He was a bit taller than the raven-haired boy, and his own hair was a bit longer, colored a platinum blonde. _Is that even natural?_ John thought to himself, proceeding to wonder if it were even possible to reach that color with dye. He must have been about to go outside, because he wore a dark pair of aviators. Either that or he was trying too hard to look cool. Though John doubted it, with a plain red t-shirt and denim capris, he looked more like a beachgoer than anything, minus the fact that he wore a pair of black converse instead of sandals. Was that what Texas had to offer? Beachy-looking dudes who wore shades inside?  
The boy looked like he was about to ask him something, like 'are you okay?' or even tell him to be careful, but after eying each other for a few minutes, all the blonde could get out was: "Have a nice trip?"  
John was about to respond literally, realizing the point of the joke, and rolling his eyes. "Yeah, and it would have been so much better with a fifty pound box landing on my head, but that didn't happen. Thanks for that, by the way." he grumbled, though he couldn't help but give a grateful look when he took two boxes off of the four he carried.  
"Jesus, these are heavily, what's the rush? This apartment is a piece of shit anyway, the parking lot would be more hospitable." he grunted upon taking half of the load and continuing up the stairs.  
John followed, now able to see over the boxes he carried. "I gathered that, but honestly it looks worse from the outside." he said, walking alongside him. "What's your name, anyway?" he asked, pausing to adjust his grip on the boxes.  
"Dave. Dave Strider. You're the Egberts, right? Our new neighbors? My bro sent me down to help you guys when he saw you pull into the parking lot." Dave said, shooting the other an annoyed glance. At least he thought it looked annoyed, the way his blonde eyebrows furrowed and his freckled cheeks tensed up as he bit his bottom lip. It must be a habit for him when he got upset.  
"Yeah, I'm John. But your Bro really didn't have to do that, I mean, it's our first time moving but we basically have everything under control." John said, shrugging as they finally reached the fifth floor, walking towards the open door. His father had obviously reached it long before them. "But it was nice of you to help, and you kinda saved my ass, so, thanks." he chuckled. Dave shrugged, and smiled a little.  
"Meh, just another day I'm being way too heroic and shit, what can you do?" he smirked, adjusting his shades. It appeared he actually wore them all the time. John wouldn't question it, this guy was a new friend, and who was he to question weird habits? They started back down the stairs, at twice the speed as before.  
They were in a silence until they got back to the car. "So you're about fifteen?" John asked, grabbing a side table and a box he put on top of it. Dave just grabbed a few more boxes. "Turned fifteen December third, what about you?" He responded, opening the door for John, following him inside, being hit again with a blast of cool air. The maintenance man and the sign on the elevator were gone, so he led John into the elevator, pressing the '5' and watching the door close.  
"I turned fifteen on the thirteeth of last month. By the way, are you out of school for summer yet?" John asked, setting down the furniture for the short remainder of the elevator ride, crossing his arms after pushing up his glasses once more.  
"Yeah. We got out on the twentieth of May, yesterday. Where are you from, anyway?" Dave did the same with the boxes he carried, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind his ear. "Washington." John responded, sighing. "A thirty hour drive, dude, minus all the times we got lost. I was starting to think we'd never get here." he said.  
The elevator door opened, and the two of them grabbed the things they'd brought in, taking it to the apartment, continuing to talk to each other non-stop. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad.


	4. Chapter 4

By five, the Egberts were unpacked, and sat on the couch, tired. "At least I had some friends bring most of the furniture, or we wouldn't even have beds." John's father chuckled, patting his son on the shoulder, looking pleased with himself. Dave had left once everything was inside. John smiled thinking back at their conversation. He'd learned about Dave's favorite color, and his obsession with apple juice. He learned about Dave's comic: SJHB and had even taken a break to read some of it on Dave's phone. It had been a little stupid, but part of him kind of enjoyed the fact that Dave, Mr. 'I wear shades indoors coolkid' was a serious dork.  
A knock on the door summoned John's father, revealing two men who looked very much similar, and Dave, who was right next to them. "This is my bro, and my other brother, Dirk. We made you a cake and shit, to welcome you to the complex." Dave said, looking humiliated.  
It appeared to be regular vanilla cake, covered in pink frosting, with a weird fabric ornament on top of it. John couldn't tell what it is, but when his father asked, the eldest, 'Bro' was happy to explain that it was a smuppet. Whatever that was.  
"By the way, Bro made dinner, and we were wondering if you wanted to come over and eat with us." Dirk spoke up, winking at John. He cringed, and looked at his father, who exchanged a nervous glance with him.  
"No thank you, but John would be happy to, right?" he said, not looking at his son's betrayed stare. "R-right." John finally said, Dave seeming to perk up a little. "Cool." Bro said approvingly, gesturing for John to follow them as they walked next door, the fifteen year old glaring back at his father. He just waved and closed the door.  
"Dave's probably the only one with any idea on how to cook, but he just got out of school so we made Beefaroni. Nothing goes better together than macaroni and cheese with ground beef. It's awesome." Dirk bragged, walking next to John. "Sounds good."John replied, nodding. "I won't lie, Bro's Beefaroni is pretty great." Dave added.  
John was led inside the apartment, which for the most part looked pretty normal. Another man with sunkissed skin and dark brown hair sat at the table, his green eyes lighting up when he saw Dirk.  
"So you managed to get one of them over, I see." a smooth accent followed his words, and Dirk nodded, sitting next to him. He pressed a kiss to his forehead, and looked over at John and Dave. "This is Jake, my boyfriend." he said, Jake waving at the two of them.  
John sat next to Dave, thanking Dave's Bro when he set down a plate of the mac and beef in front of him.  
"So I was gonna go down to the lake tomorrow, you wanna come?" Dave asked, looking over at John. "Dirk and Jake will be there too." John took a bite of his food, and shrugged, chewing slowly. It wasn't bad, actually. Needed salt, but not bad at all. He swallowed, and looked back up. "I guess so, I don't think dad would mind." he mumbled. "Sweet, you'll have to bring your own food money though." Dave added, wrinkling his nose. "No problem. Just come to my door when you're ready to go." John said, smiling.  
The group spent the next two hours talking and eating. John stayed a while after they finished to help Dave with the dishes, and longer after that, talking to each other, talking about their old homes. How they grew up, even about their pet peeves. John left at almost ten at night, walking down the hallway, unlocking the apartment door. He passed his father, who had his laptop open, looking for a job, but had fallen asleep on the couch.  
He moved to his room, and fell onto his bed, content, closing his eyes, and dozing off.


	5. Chapter 5

"John."

"Yo. Joooohn."

"HEY JOHN. FIRE."

John sat up, accidentally clunking heads with whoever had yelled at him to get up. A shot of pain moved through his skull, and he heard a startled yelp and a groan of pain from across the room. "Damn Egbert.."  
"Dave?" he opened his eyes and saw the blonde on the floor, clutching his head in his hands. He wore jeans and a tank top, his lean-muscled shoulders hunched over. He wore his shades again, and had a messager bag over his shoulder. "Yeah. Your dad let me in." he muttered, standing up. "Get ready man." he shook his head and went out into the living room to wait for John.  
He got out of bed, and pulled on his bathing suit, which was printed with the Ghost Busters logo. He'd loved that movie since he was little. God it was so awesome. He decided to pull on a white t-shirt and sandals, smoothing his hair down a little.  
After dressing, he grabbed his own bag, packing his wallet with the remainder of the money he earned from work back in Washington, which was about seventy-five dollars in cash and about fifty on his debit card. He'd often insisted on helping to pay for things, like groceries or gas, or even his own glasses. But his father had told him to keep his hard earned money.  
He grabbed a towel, a bottle of water, and an extra set of clothes just in case, before leaving his room, pulling his bag over his shoulder.  
Dave waited in the living room, by the door, looking up when John came out. "Ghost Busters? Where did you even get those?" he asked, looking like he was trying not to laugh. "Online, duh. And Ghost Busters is a classic. A shitty classic, but a classic." John muttered indignantly. "At least you know it." Dave snickered.  
"Whatever, let's just go." John sighed, watching Dave open the door for him, waving goodbye to his father, who stood in the kitchen, sipping his coffee. He winked, and John didn't get a chance to question it before the door closed.  
The lake was pretty desolate. It didn't seem like anyone was crazy enough to risk heatstroke today, and John didn't blame them. Not even Jake and Dirk were there yet. "They're probably going at it back at Jake's place. They won't be here for a while." Dave said, shrugging. John turned bright red, shaking his head. "That couldn't be it! I'm sure they just got caught up in something!" he said, biting his bottom lip. "Yeah, fucking each other's brains out." Dave laughed, patting John on the back. "It's okay dude."  
Dave pulled off his tank top and his jeans, wearing a red bathing suit underneath. He threw the clothing behind him, on top of his bag and ran straight into the water. John took off his shirt, and dropped his own bag, approaching the water, and standing in the shallow end for a moment before he waded deeper out, and eventually all the way out to where Dave was, diving under the surface and swimming around. The water was fairly clear where they were, and he was able to grab Dave's legs so he could pull him under. He heard a screech from up top, the blonde taken by surprise as he toppled into the water, glaring at John. Somehow, he managed to keep his shades on. John rolled his eyes and snatched at the glasses, only to be shoved away as Dave moved up the surface.  
"Don't do that!" he hissed at John when they both popped up into the fresh air. "Why not? They're just glasses man. I don't see wh-" "Because I just don't fucking want you to! Is that a problem?" Dave interrupted him bitterly, turning and swimming away.  
John felt guilty for what he'd done, even though he saw no reason why he couldn't see his eyes? Was he self-conscious or something? Was he missing an eye? Yeesh. It just didn't make sense. Nonetheless, John trailed after him.  
"Dave..." his voice was timid. "I'm sorry dude, I didn't know, come on, give the nerd a chance with your coolness." he teased warmly. Dave cracked a small smile, and pushed him under. "I suppose the king of cool could pardon you, peasant." he gave a chuckle, and looked towards the shore, seeing Dirk and Jake walking towards the water. They definately looked odd, Jake wearing a black speedo, and Dirk wearing a pair of orange trunks that looked normal until he turned to say something to Jake, and John spotted the word 'kawaii' printed in green on the butt. John muffled his laughter, glancing at Dave as if he were asking the Strider if this were real life.  
The four had swam around, dunking each other and joking around like morons. Jake had brought some sandwiches along, and after a few hours they found themselves sitting around in the grass, eating lunch and talking about what they were going to do next.  
"We could rent a movie and go to my place?" Jake had offered, since his grandmother was always traveling, he mostly had the house to himself. "Yeah, and pick up some snacks and shit." John and Dave had agreed, so after dressing into regular street clothes, they went to the nearest movie rental place, and had rented a few horror movies. Dirk and John had highly objected to each and every one, only to be called a couple of chickens by the other two.  
The nearest Walmart came after, where they bought some munchies for the movie, and some soda before Dirk drove them to Jake's house.  
Jake lived in the more isolated part of town, in a nice, two-story cabin, with a nice living room. John soon sank into one of the comfy loveseats, Dave plopping down next to him, sighing. "Okay, which movie first?" he asked.  
"Well Dave and I have a confession." Jake began, John's blood running cold when he heard Dave laugh next to him. "What?" Dirk asked.  
"We're only watching one of the movies we rented. You two didn't know about one of them."  
"Oh god Jake what?"  
Dave then cut in. "We may or may not have grabbed Rosemary's Baby off the shelf when you guys weren't looking."  
Anyone who didn't know about the original movie make of Rosemary's Baby needed to be educated on true fear. It was the pinnacle of terror, and John had only seen it once for a reason. But he had to stay cool. He said nothing, and told himself he could do it. How scary could it be anyway?  
So after subduing Dirk, they popped it in, popped some corn, and popped open some sodas, sitting down to watch the movie.


	6. Chapter 6

The movie ended up being the pure theatrical carnation of hell. It kept them in front of the screen late into the night, and by the time all was said and done, it had been too late to go home. "We have a guest room. The two of you can stay in there if you want. Or on the couch, I suppose. But the couch is uncomfortable, and let's face it, how bad can sharing a bed be?" Jake said when he noticed that his three guests were getting tired. Dirk smirked, and winked at Jake. "I ship it." he said teasingly. Jake nodded right back, the same dorky look that Dirk had plastered onto his face.  
"I guess it couldn't be that bad. It's not like we're gonna end up saying 'no homo' every time we catch each other's gaze, right?" John said, ignoring the nonsensical exchange between Dirk and Jake. Dave nodded, and chuckled to himself. "I bet that would be pretty fuckin' annoying."  
Jake led the two boys upstairs, and down the furthest hall to a closed door. "Here we are. Sleep tight kids." Jake said, patting John on the head and going to the other end of the hallway, where Dirk was waiting. "The funny thing is, they have another guest room." Dave said under his breath as he opened the door to a rather cozy looking room, a large canopy bed, covered with thin black sheets and pure white pillows. A small bookshelf sat in one corner, basically overflowing with books, with a fluffy chair next to it. Two identical lamps sat on either side of the bed, on top of two dainty little nightstands that looked like they'd crumble under the weight of the lamps any moment. The large window on the other side of the room was open, it's sheer white curtains wavering in the early morning breeze, moonlight illuminating the room. A fireplace crackled gently across from the reading setup, casting a small warm light over part of the room.  
Dave poked out the fire, all the warmth in the room lingering for an instant, before escaping out the window. John took off his socks and slipped into bed, resting his head against the feathery cushion of the pillow. Dave did the same, only peeling off his shirt before lifting up the sheets to lay down.  
John would have been jealous of Dave's body, he wasn't exactly 'full six pack abs' kind of guy, but something about the way the his body moved, something about that lean muscle struck a spark in him. Yeah, that was definately jealousy. His body didn't look like that. He turned his back to John, taking off his shades and closing his eyes right after, keeping turned away from his friend.  
The blonde really didn't want anyone to see his eyes. John knew that self-image issues came in different forms, but this was almost ridiculous. He wouldn't judge, what was there to dislike? Dave was perfect, honestly, and he meant that in most friendly way possible. He was surprised to kid didn't have girls falling all over him. He was surprised that someone like Dave could want to be friends with someone like him. That was the biggest kicker.  
He turned his back to Dave as well, feeling their backs brush against each other. The only thing that roused in him was concern. Wasn't he cold? Even through his shirt John felt the chill of the Strider's skin, and sat up a little. "Aren't you cold?" he whispered, sounding almost afraid his voice would break the delicate silence into loud, angry shards.  
It took a while before a response came. "No." Dave said simply, burrowing deeper into the pillow. John was about to contradict him, but simply nodded hesitantly. "..And you're sure?"  
"Yeah."  
"...Alright."  
And after that, John lay back down, closing his eyes, and burrowing his own self into the comfortable pillow. Maybe things would be less tense in the morning, for all he knew he only felt exhaustion, and that was what caused all these weird feelings. "Goodnight Dave." he said softly, not hearing an answer before he drifted off.


	7. Chapter 7

Dave opened his eyes in a panic, trying to define what his surroundings were. Quickly, he spotted his shades on the nightstand, and slid them on, slowly adjusting as the memories of last night came to him. The clock on the wall read 10:53, and Dave took a moment to enjoy the steady ticking sound the clock made.  
He then got out of bed, and pulled on his shirt, glancing over at John. He forgot to take off his glasses last night, and the angry red marks on his nose from the frames being broken almost annoyed Dave. He made a mental note to do something about that.  
Slowly, he crept over to the other side of the bed, gently taking John's glasses off, and setting them on the nightstand. John looked so peaceful while he was asleep, the worries of his position not seeming to matter to him. Something about John was so kind, so soothing, so understanding and wonderful. Maybe that's why Dave had grown to like him so much. Normally he was an introverted, irritable kid that was mad at the world for his own issues. He hadn't slept a full night like that in almost a month, and he was glad John had gotten here when he did. Dave needed a friend.  
Staying silent, Dave pulled the blanket up over John, tucking him in and going downstairs, where he smelled the chalky, overwhelming aroma of flour and burning sugar. "Jake, I get teaching me how to cook but fancy shit like crepes? Really?" Dave heard his brother ask from downstairs.  
"Of course Dirk. They're easy, see? Just flip it like this. Yes. There. That's the best one you've made."  
"I'll never get the hang of this dude. I'm lucky to have you, or else the house would burn down."  
Dave looked over the stair railing at the kitchen, smiling upon seeing the two at the stove, Jake's arms wrapped around his older brother's waist. He was glad to see Dirk happy, he could be a dumbass at times, and a jerk, but he'd always been there for Dave. Jake really worked wonders for him.  
So he didn't go downstairs and ruin the moment. Instead he went back to the guest room, laying back in bed, and putting his glasses back on the nightstand. For a long time he stared at the top of the canopy bed, unable to fall back into sleep despite John's warmth by his side. "You're pretty cool, actually." he said to the sleeping Egbert, glancing over. He snuggled into the blanket that had been pulled up under his chin, a resting smile on his face. Dave wondered what he was dreaming about. John didn't seem like much of a dreamer. Or at least not like he once was, if he once was. Dave speculated that John hadn't had much to dream about. It seemed like he'd always lived the ordinary life, so normal and plain that he didn't know what to dream about. It wasn't hard to see that kind of thing in people.  
But he would had thought different for John. He seemed like a happy guy most of the time, and happy people dreamt, right? Now it seemed that dreamless nights were for the lonely and lost. Not for John. He deserved so much better.  
But maybe Dave was wrong, and dreams were for those who didn't know what to do with themselves. Maybe dreamless nights were for those with no fears or worries, those who had no need to be strong or carry weights they didn't deserve. Dave knew John missed the life he knew, he knew John missed it terribly. He wanted to make it as nice as possible for him. Though he didn't have the faintest idea about why.  
John was new, hell, he'd known the kid for two days. Maybe it was because John was a good target for a friend. Maybe it was because John was so approachable. He was certain to have plenty of friends after summer vacation, when they entered freshman year. John wouldn't have a hard time starting high school, that seemed impossible.  
But then again, that's what Bro thought for him, and Dirk. But he didn't really have any friends that he could hug, or high-five, or rap with. Sure, he had Rose and Jade, but Rose was in New York, and Jade was out in hell's furthest ring for all Dave knew. They didn't talk much anymore, anyway. They all had their own lives, and Dave had long-ago accepted that the feeling they were supposed to be more wasn't actually a thing.  
So yeah, he guessed it was a decent assumption, that John was a good attempt at a friend. John had probably left so many friends behind in Washington.  
After a few more thoughtful minutes, Dave turned back around, and closed his eyes, trying to doze off once more, and surprisingly, he did. The world went dark as he lost consciousness, breathing slowly and steadily, lost in the sound of the trees rustling in the summer breeze and the pale sunlight coming in through white curtains.


	8. Chapter 8

"John! Dave!"

John was roused by the sound of Dirk calling from downstairs, feeling around for his glasses. He finally located them, not remember taking them off last night. He put them on, and got out of bed, stretching. He heard Dave getting up behind him. "Good morning.." he mumbled sleepily, hearing a much more groggy, "..'Morning." behind him. He wanted to think Dave hadn't slept very well, instead of not at all, because he sounded bitter. Maybe he just wasn't a morning person.  
John started out into the hallway, going towards the stairs, where Dirk was waiting at the bottom. "Yeah?" John asked, smoothing down his hair like he normally did. "Are you hungry? We made breakfast." Jake chimed in, setting the bar that surrounded the kitchen area for a meal.  
Just then John felt his stomach cry needily. Yes, he was starving. Popcorn wasn't exactly a decent meal, and they had planned to order pizza, but it had been too late by the time they remembered. "Is Dave up? We don't want him sleeping into the wee hours." Jake chirped as John made his way downstairs. "Yeah, I'm up." Dave shouted from the guest room. John turned around to see the blonde walking slowly down the hallway, smiling to himself. Dave's hair was incredibly messy, and it clashed with the shades that lay crookedly on the bridge of his nose.  
"Aww. How sweet." John teased when Dirk adjusted the aviators on Dave's face, and smoothed down his hair for him. "Coolkid's gotta be tidy." Dirk said defensively. "I'll let Dave sulk twenty-four hours a day, but only if he looks good." Dave nodded in response, sitting down at the kitchen bar. John took a seat next to him, watching at Jake dished out golden brown crepes, chocolate basically dripping from them, and merging with the juice coming from the peaches that shared the plate with them.  
"It looks good, Jake." Dave said, snickering at Dirk's hurt expression. "Hey, I made yours so you better can it." he responded, Dave suddenly looking a little scared to eat his. "What did you do to it?" he hissed.  
"I cooked it, I filled it, and I'm about to stuff your face in it if you don't shut up." Dirk shot back. "I'd like to see you try!" Dave snarled, straightening up and shooting a threatening glare at Dirk. "Don't fuckin' tempt me Dave."  
John, meanwhile sat between them, getting pretty damn uncomfortable at the bickering. "Boys..I.." Even Jake was unsure what to say to break them up. "Don't break any furniture please." he just sighed, as Dirk ended up getting Dave into a headlock, the smaller of the two pummeling Dirk with his knee, both incoherently shouting at each other.  
"Is this common?" John asked, glancing at the two uneasily. "Yeah. Honestly I don't think they'd be brothers if they didn't fight like this." he said, shaking his head. "Normally Dirk is the one that starts it. Something must be up with Dave." Jake said, shrugging.  
John had long since begun eating, Jake too, and it was almost comical watching the two fight with each other, cursing and brawling on the floor. Eventually they got worn out, and sat back down, glaring at each other.  
"Bitch."  
"Asshole."  
"Dick."  
"Idiot."  
"Bastard."  
"Shithead."  
"Fuckface."  
"Moron."  
"Enough!" Jake interrupted them, smacking Dirk on the side of the head and shooting a threatening look at Dave. "You both are acting like imbeciles. Knock it off." he sat back down, and a long silence fell over the room.  
"Sorry Dirk."  
"Yeah..me too."  
The silence continued on until they finished eating. "We should probably take John home before his father flips his shit and calls the cops thinking we've killed him." Dirk said after the dishes were cleaned.  
Shit. John had totally forgotten about his father. He must have been worried sick when John didn't come home. He'd have some serious explaining to do. "Yeah. We should probably go.." he whispered. "Alright, no worries, just let me grab my keys, and..okay. Let's hit the road." Jake said, leading them out to his car. It was a 2001 Dodge Neon, and very well maintained for it being a thirteen year old car. The bright blue paint glistened in the daylight, and made John wonder exactly the point of that color. It seemed a little tacky, to be honest.  
They got in, and dropped off the movies on the way back to the complex. "I'd love to stay, but I'm afraid I've got some errands to run." Jake said once they got there, glancing at Dirk. He nodded, getting out of the car and over to the driver's side, giving Jake a short kiss goodbye.  
"Get a room." Dave teased, John playfully punching him in the shoulder as they got out and began walking towards the complex.  
"Want me to go back to your apartment with you?" Dave asked, raising an eyebrow. John shrugged, and chuckled nervously. "I guess, but you see, Dave, I think my dad thinks we have a thing.."  
"A thing?" Dave seemed all around confused, the realization hitting him slowly. "Like...a thing, thing? Dude, I don't.. what? Of course we don't what the fuck?" Dave growled, turning bright red.  
"Yeah, I know, it's stupid." John laughed softly. "I'm not even gay, the man's lost it." he shrugged, and adjusted his glasses, walking towards the building a little faster, to be immersed in beautiful air conditioning. Once again, it was scalding hot.  
They got inside, and took the elevator up. Since John's apartment wasn't far from across from the elevator, they walked right out, and John pulled out his key to open the door, only for it to swing open before John could even touch the doorknob. His father, looking strained and frantic, stood in the doorway, pulling him into a hug. "Where the hell were you?" he screeched, practically squeezing his son to death. "I... dad.. you're killing me.." John hissed, struggling against the grip.  
His father let go, and Dave steadied his friend, afraid he'd fall over. "We rented a movie and went to Dirk's boyfriend's house, and by the time it ended it was really late so I stayed the night there." John explained hurriedly.  
The elder man looked at his son, as if he were going to either ground him or strangle him. "Do you know how fucking worried I was?" he growled, arms crossed as he sheparded John into the apartment, not even bothering to say goodbye to Dave when he slammed the door. "Did you even think to call? Perhaps even, I don't know, given me a heads-up of some sort?" Fury radiated from John's father, John could almost smell the sharp mix of anger and fear. "I'm sorry dad, I didn't mean-"  
"Room."  
"What?"  
"Go to your room."  
John opened his mouth to argue, but said nothing, his gaze downcast as he walked towards his bedroom, leaving his father alone. The good day had been ruined, and honestly, John felt guilty for ruining it.


	9. Chapter 9

_Day fucking three. I'm gonna lose it, I swear. _

John still remembered his father coming into his room after he'd calmed down, and told John 'Two weeks, no leaving the house, no leaving your room other than for necessities.' It was better than having his computer taken away, but it was useless, he didn't exactly know Dave's usernames to any networks. He certainly had no idea what Dave's chumhandle was, or if he even had a pesterchum. He probably didn't.  
Swinging his feet around, he stood up, rubbing his eyes. It was almost two in the afternoon, and all John did was sleep when he was grounded. What else was there to do? He glanced towards his laptop, that sat under his nightstand. Maybe one of his internet pals was on.  
He slid it out from under the nightstand and sat on his bed with it, logging onto his account and opening Pesterchum. Sure enough, only one was online. Karkat. He lived in Missouri, and basically always online. He clicked on his handle 'carcinoGenticist' and messaged him.  
EB: hey!  
CG: OH GOD. JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I GOT RID OF YOU.  
EB: karkat dont be an ass  
CG: IT WAS A JOKE, DUDE.  
CG: LIGHTEN UP FOR ONCE.  
CG: THOUGH IT ISN'T REALLY LIKE ME TO SAY THAT, IS IT?  
EB: not really  
EB: you must be having a good day then.  
EB: what perked you up?  
CG: ...YOU KNOW THAT BET WE MADE BEFORE YOU MOVED AND YOU DISAPPEARED LIKE A FUCKING ASSHOLE?  
CG: THAT I COULD GET A BOYFRIEND OR GIRLFRIEND BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR AND YOU TOLD ME IT WAS FUCKING IMPOSSIBLE?  
CG: YEAH I DID THAT.  
EB: really? awesome! who?  
CG: THAT INSUFFERABLE CAPTOR PRICK.  
CG: I MEAN.. HE ASKED ME. BUT YOU KNOW.. I DID IT.  
EB: i know this is text but wow! love the enthusiam!  
CG: OKAY LET ME TRY LIKE YOU.  
CG: i did it! hehehe! ghost busters! shitty movies! huge crush on vriska serket! im not gay hahahah!  
CG: BETTER?  
EB: yeah. totally. thanks karkat.  
EB: im gonna go though, good job with your crowning achievement.  
CG: YEAH YEAH. SEE YOU.

John smiled to himself, and exited the chat, looking up as another friend came online. Known universally as Vriska Serket. He'd had a huge crush on her, and hit hard when he found out she didn't feel the same. But hey, life goes on and crushes pass. He understood and respected that. They were almost best friends now, but they hadn't talked for almost a month, aside from group chats and skype calls with multiple people. Any one-on-one time was only for a few minutes. It actually kind of hurt, so he decided to message her.  
EB: hey vriska!  
AG: i'm sorry, 8ut who is this?  
EB: um.. vriska  
EB: its me.  
EB: john.  
AG: oh!  
AG: what's up with you john? how's texas treating you? ::::)  
EB: three words.  
EB: hot. desert. wasteland.  
AG: no shit? ::::o  
AG: i'd h8 to be there.  
AG: michigan is gr8.  
AG: never complaining about the cold again that's for fucking sure...  
EB: haha yeah.  
EB: so guess who got a boyfriend?  
AG: karkat?  
EB: well yeah..how did you know?  
AG: duhhhhhhhh john. he told me.  
AG: we spent like an hour talking about ours.  
EB: 'ours'?  
EB: what is this 'get a boyfriend' day?  
AG: if it were it would be pretty l8.  
AG: i've been in the throes of romance for almost a month.  
AG: her name is kanaya. she goes to my school. we talk nonstop, even when we get home im on pesterchum with her for hours.  
EB: is that why you haven't been talking to me as much?  
AG: yeah. i'm really sorry about that. i'll try to get in more friend time.  
AG: so weren't we talking about me coming to visit you sometime?  
EB: it's no big deal, really, i'll get used to it. i don't want to seem like i'm jealous or trying to control you. is that how it seems?  
AG: not at all. ::::]  
EB: and yeah, we were talking about that last time we talked.  
EB: since it's summer break, it's a good time to plan.  
AG: totally. maybe i could bring kanaya and we could hang out.

John look at his computer wearily. That wasn't what they had planned since John had mentioned moving. They talked about it just being the two of them, and going to theme parks and the movies and talking for hours on end and laughing. Not this. John held back a lump in his throat and shook his head. He couldn't say no. Then he'd seem like an asshole. Maybe it was better for him to just let Vriska and him grow apart.

EB: now that i think about it, maybe we shouldn't.  
AG: why? ::::(  
EB: it would be hassle for our parents and you wouldn't be able to stay long. it's a really long drive.  
AG: i'm sure they wouldn't mind johnnnnnnnn.  
EB: it doesn't matter. we still have pesterchum.  
AG: oh...okay.  
AG: john?  
AG: joooooooohn?  
AG: did you leave?  
AG: did i say something wrong? ::::((((((((  
AG: john? what did i do?  
AG: i bet you lost connection. well kanaya is calling, so i gotta go. see you l8r!

John buried his head in his hands and sighed. He felt like a dick. He didn't want everything to involve 'Kanaya'. He was happy for Vriska, she deserved someone like that. But what about their friendship? They'd been friends for almost three years. If Vriska could neglect actually sititng down and talking to him one on one for a month what else could she do? What else would she do? Knowing his luck, people would probably start pegging John as one of those assholes who always cried about being in the friendzone, when the friendzone was all that he really wanted right now. He wanted to drown in the friendzone, he wanted to be smothered in it.  
He didn't notice that by the time he looked up, it was already around six, and that he'd fallen asleep sitting up. It was dead silent, and a heavy exhaustion clung to him. What had woken him up?  
A tapping noise came from his window, and he looked up to see Dave on the fire escape. He stood up and walked towards the window, trying to open it. It wouldn't budge. He shrugged, and he thought he saw a look of disappointment on Dave's face. He tried again, and heard it creak miserably when it finally tore open. "Hey man." Dave said, helping John out onto the fire escape.  
"He...woah.." John looked out towards the horizon where the sun began to dip down behind the city lights. Being on the fifth floor obviously meant a great view. He looked at Dave incredeously. "I come out here a lot. The view is awesome." Dave agreed, standing by the railing with him.  
For a moment John was lost in the pinks and oranges and the pure whites, until he was reminded of the fact that today had confirmed the end of the best friendship he'd had. Dave noticed his expression fall. "What's wrong man?" he asked, looking towards John.  
"Nothing."  
"Oh bullsh-"  
"Dave.."  
"John, just tell me."  
The dark-haired boy glanced at him nervously and broke down. "There was this girl I used to like, and we've always been best friends, even after I told her. It never got awkward or anything. But then she gets in a relationship- and I'm okay with it, I really am- but she's shutting me out, and all my attempts to spend more one-on-one time with her always have to involve someone else. She forgets about me so easily. She forgot who I was when I messaged her. I get the feeling if our circle of friends was doing something and I had disappeared, she wouldn't even notice I was missing until someone else pointed it out." he muttered.  
Dave listened intently, and shrugged. "Sorry bro, I don't really have much sympathy, I mean, why would you need it? Frankly, you don't need her if she's just going to treat you like trash." he said, shrugging. "It isn't sympathy you need, just the push to realize that you're better off without her if she's bringing you down this much."  
"I don't have anyone else, Dave.. She was my best friend."  
"You have me."  
John bit his bottom lip, and glanced at the floor of the fire escape. "I guess." he mumbled. "You have to move on sometime Egbert." Dave added, his shades showing John his reflection. He looked miserable, and Dave, on the other side of those glasses, looked pained to see it.  
A chill settled over the night, and left the two of them in silence, looking up at the moon. A breeze moved through their hair, and the lights faded as the two of them sat there longer and longer. John lost track of time, honestly, and the quiet was comfortable, though it lasted for hours.  
"You're cool, John. You don't deserve the bullshit that's being thrown at you." Dave finally said. "Nobody deserves it when they're already going through what you are. But hey, I'm here, and I'm good 'till the last drop." he added, holding out a hand to John. "Us against the world. What do you say? I don't think I'll be leaving any time soon."  
John was about to make a snarky remark, but then it hit him, that Dave was serious. He paused, and took Dave's hand. "Alright. Us against the world, Dave."  
With that, they spent a few more minutes in a cozy silence, before parting ways for the night. As John closed his eyes, the last thing he saw was Dave disappearing into his own window, and the moonlight cast onto his floor.


End file.
